2021 Château Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac, Bordeaux
Critics reviews
Hold +4 years
Inky depths to the colour, with sweetened black cherry, damson and cassis fruit, clear crushed rose petals, and grilled rosemary, espresso, cocoa and sage. It supplies generosity that is often lacking in the vintage, but this stays bang on Mouton's character and signature, and even though it is in a more classic vintage style, it is full of beauty. 100% new oak, 41hl/h yield. Harvest from September 25 until October 6. The first vintage was Jean-Emmauel Danjoy from beginning to end, after Philippe Dhalluin's retirement.
Drink 2028 - 2041
Jane Anson, JaneAnson.com (January 2024)
The 2021 Mouton-Rothschild, matured in 100% new oak for 18 months, has a "serious" Cabernet-driven bouquet, just as it had out of barrel. Graphite-infused black fruit mixes with tobacco and touches of incense, the latter a feature that I did not notice previously. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins. Silky smooth in texture, it has indeed gained a little weight, especially toward the back. Possessing very pure fruit and harmonious with a linear yet elegant finish, this is a classically styled Mouton-Rothschild that will age with grace.
Drink 2027 - 2050
Neal Martin, Vinous.com (February 2024)
The 2021 Mouton Rothschild is gorgeous, just as it was en primeur. A wine of stature and vertical build, the 2021 is wonderfully poised from the outset. Beams of tannin add to an impression of explosive lift. Touches of mocha, spice, new leather, cedar and blood orange begin to emerge with a bit of time in the glass. The Grand Vin is pretty imposing at this stage. I would not be in a rush.
Drink 2031 - 2051
Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com (February 2024)
89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc. Cask sample.
Blackcurrant and cranberry notes indicate the dominance of Cabernet in the blend. Meaty but fresh on the palate, the tannins silky and dense. Plenty of substance here, the fruit generous, the tannins firm, providing length on the finish. Rich, within the context of the vintage, but fresh at the same time. Looks to have staying power.
Drink 2030 - 2050
James Lawther MW, JancisRobinson.com (May 2022)
The 2021 Mouton Rothschild unwinds in the glass with rich aromas of dark berries and minty cassis mingled with espresso roast, dark chocolate, smoked meats, and toasty new oak. It has taken on weight with élevage in barrel, exhibiting a full-bodied, rich, and layered palate that's impressively muscular and multidimensional. It has a deep core of fruit and plenty of sweet, powdery structuring tannin, concluding with a long, discreetly carnal finish.
Drink 2031 - 2061
William Kelley, Wine Advocate (February 2024)
A blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc. 13.1% alcohol.
This shows blackcurrants, blackberries, violets, lavender, pencil shavings and hints of metal shavings. Medium- to full-bodied with a firm and juicy character of extremely polished and integrated tannins that caress your palate. Compact and poised with tension and focus.
Drink after 2029
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com (July 2024)
Concentrated and characterful, layered and super-finely presented. Round and full, juicy and textured, more powdery than tense and grippy with almost blackcurrant skin texture, while juicy red and black cherry juice goes through the centre, added to by dried mint, wet stones, clove and liquorice. Serious, with power but poise, all the elements on show – perhaps not quite settled, but individually showing the complexity of this great wine in the making.
Drink 2027 - 2050
Georgina Hindle, Decanter.com (November 2023)
For tech geeks out there, this hit 13.1% alcohol, has an IPT of 59, and a pH of 3.73.
As to the Grand Vin 2021 Château Mouton Rothschild, this beauty is in the running for one of the wines of the vintage, and it brings more depth, richness, and texture than just about anything else in the Médoc. A blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, and 1% Cabernet Franc that was brought up in new barrels, it sports a dense purple/plum hue as well as powerful aromatics of spicy black fruits, leafy tobacco, graphite, and freshly sharpened pencils.
Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it has a building, layered mouthfeel, impressive concentration and intensity in its aromas and flavours, velvety tannins, and gorgeous finish. You'd be hard-pressed to know this came from a challenging vintage. It will take at least 5-7 years to hit the early stages of its prime drinking window and will evolve gracefully over the following 20-25 years. Bravo.
Drink 2029 - 2055
Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com (March 2024)
About this WINE
Château Mouton Rothschild
Classified as a First Growth, Château Mouton Rothschild has a long and storied history; wine has been made here since Roman times. The property spans 82 hectares of vines in Pauillac, planted with the classic varieties of the region, Cabernet Sauvignon being predominant.
The estate has been in the Baron Philippe de Rothschild family since 1853, but it wasn’t until the arrival of Baron Philippe de Rothschild in 1922 that its fortunes were transformed. Baron Philippe was a dynamic figure who revolutionised the estate and was the first to introduce château-bottling in 1924. He also introduced the concept of commissioning an artist to design each new vintage’s label. Some of the most notable contributors include Salvador Dalí, Henry Moore, Marc Chagall, Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud, Anish Kapoor and Peter Doig.
His daughter Baroness Philippine continued to help raise the estate to new heights with numerous endeavours, including the inauguration of a new vat house in 2013. Today, her three children, Camille and Philippe Sereys de Rothschild and Julien de Beaumarchais de Rothschild, continue the efforts of their predecessors.
Following the retirement in 2020 of Philippe Dhalluin, the winemaking team is now headed up by Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy. With his team, he oversees over 83 hectares of vines, planted with Cabernet Sauvignon (78%), Merlot (18%), Cabernet Franc (3%), and Petit Verdot (1%). The average age of the vines is around 50 years.
Pauillac
Pauillac is the aristocrat of the Médoc boasting boasting 75 percent of the region’s First Growths and with Grand Cru Classés representing 84 percent of Pauillac's production.
For a small town, surrounded by so many familiar and regal names, Pauillac imparts a slightly seedy impression. There are no grand hotels or restaurants – with the honourable exception of the establishments owned by Jean-Michel Cazes – rather a small port and yacht harbour, and a dominant petrochemical plant.
Yet outside the town, , there is arguably the greatest concentration of fabulous vineyards throughout all Bordeaux, including three of the five First Growths. Bordering St Estèphe to the north and St Julien to the south, Pauillac has fine, deep gravel soils with important iron and marl deposits, and a subtle, softly-rolling landscape, cut by a series of small streams running into the Gironde. The vineyards are located on two gravel-rich plateaux, one to the northwest of the town of Pauillac and the other to the south, with the vines reaching a greater depth than anywhere else in the Médoc.
Pauillac's first growths each have their own unique characteristics; Lafite Rothschild, tucked in the northern part of Pauillac on the St Estèphe border, produces Pauillac's most aromatically complex and subtly-flavoured wine. Mouton Rothschild's vineyards lie on a well-drained gravel ridge and - with its high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon - can produce (in its best years) Pauillac's most decadently rich, fleshy and exotic wine.
Latour, arguably Bordeaux's most consistent First Growth, is located in southern Pauillac next to St Julien. Its soil is gravel-rich with superb drainage, and Latour's vines penetrate as far as five metres into the soil. It produces perhaps the most long-lived wines of the Médoc.
Recommended Châteaux
Ch. Lafite-Rothschild, Ch. Latour, Ch. Mouton-Rothschild, Ch. Pichon-Longueville Baron, Ch. Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, Ch. Lynch-Bages, Ch. Grand-Puy-Lacoste, Ch, Pontet-Canet, Les Forts de Latour, Ch. Haut-Batailley, Ch. Batailley, Ch. Haut-Bages Libéral.
Cabernet Sauvignon blend
Cabernet Sauvignon lends itself particularly well in blends with Merlot. This is actually the archetypal Bordeaux blend, though in different proportions in the sub-regions and sometimes topped up with Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot.
In the Médoc and Graves the percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend can range from 95% (Mouton-Rothschild) to as low as 40%. It is particularly suited to the dry, warm, free- draining, gravel-rich soils and is responsible for the redolent cassis characteristics as well as the depth of colour, tannic structure and pronounced acidity of Médoc wines. However 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wines can be slightly hollow-tasting in the middle palate and Merlot with its generous, fleshy fruit flavours acts as a perfect foil by filling in this cavity.
In St-Emilion and Pomerol, the blends are Merlot dominated as Cabernet Sauvignon can struggle to ripen there - when it is included, it adds structure and body to the wine. Sassicaia is the most famous Bordeaux blend in Italy and has spawned many imitations, whereby the blend is now firmly established in the New World and particularly in California and Australia.
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Description
Cabernet Sauvignon 89%, Merlot 10%, Cabernet Franc 1%.
At this early stage, this seems quite hard to read. This is Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy’s first vintage in complete control; perhaps the wine reflects a little more of his purist’s stance. The selection for the grand vin has been restricted to fruit from the core vineyards of the plateau. This gives a laser focus to all its components, many of which appear a little introverted – though there is no doubt of their intrinsic class. Tight black-fruit notes lie alongside graphite and lapsang, but they must be excavated. This is without doubt top quality, but patience will be necessary.
Drink 2030 - 2050
Our score: 18.5/20
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